EMPOWERING PARENTAL READINESS FOR CHILD’S TRANSITION TO PRESCHOOL SETTINGS

Creating a climate of mutual respect and understanding, exchange of views and information, and parental participation in new environment activities are some factors contributing to developing a powerful trust relationship. A relationship allowing parents to feel self-confident, ready to manage their likely stress, and assured that their child will be in an environment s/he will be loved and taken care of, securing her/him the best possible way to a smooth transition to it. Our study attempts to evaluate parental readiness to support their child in her/his transition to the preschool environment and the impact of an innovative transition program on parental readiness. A qualitative research study through semi-structured open-ended interviews took place during the 2024-2025 school year, with participants being 50 preschooler parents from Greater Epirus. Participants were distributed to a control group (n=25) and experimental group (n=25), the latter participating in an intervention program named “Imagination (Phantasy) Express: A journey for the whole family”. Based on our study results, it was found that a well-structured, innovative transition program may significantly empower parental readiness. Child socialization and parent experience are significant factors affecting parental readiness. Concerning parents, information, cooperation with preschool and parental anxiety management are very important factors to guarantee their child a smooth transition.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0786/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>